Beijing, reported by the Convenient Traffic Violation Inquiry Network: On the Fifth Ring Road, screening large trucks, imposing heavy penalties instead of light ones, and detaining those who do not follow instructions... Beijing police are using iron-fisted measures in an attempt to reduce the frequent occurrence of major traffic fatalities in the city.
At 8:00 AM on August 3rd, a traffic accident occurred on the western section of the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing. A large truck collided with two smaller trucks, resulting in one death and two injuries. This was another traffic accident following the major crash on July 28th on the eastern section of the Fifth Ring Road that left seven dead and one injured, and the collision on August 2nd on the western section of the Fifth Ring Road that resulted in one death and two injuries.
In response to the major crash on July 28th, Beijing recently launched a special operation to rectify large trucks, strengthening the traffic order management on the Fifth Ring Road. One of the most important measures is strictly controlling various illegal behaviors of trucks and legally utilizing coercive measures, increasing enforcement efforts in detaining, temporarily confiscating vehicles, and detaining drivers.
According to the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, this special operation to rectify large trucks has changed the situation where "one fine lasts for a day." If a large truck driver is penalized and then re-enters the Fifth Ring Road on the same day, the original fine becomes "invalid," and they will be fined again.
It is understood that the Fifth Ring Road was originally designed as a highway. After tolls were abolished in 2004, its nature became an urban express ring road, leading to a significant increase in traffic volume, prominent hidden dangers, and frequent accidents. Among the eleven incidents this year where three or more people died in a single accident, two occurred on the main road of the Fifth Ring Road, resulting in ten deaths.
According to regulations, from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, trucks over eight tons are prohibited from entering the main road within the Fifth Ring Road. According to traffic police on duty, fewer large trucks enter restricted areas during the day, but once night falls, especially after 8:00 PM, some large trucks start to become "restless."
Some passing-through large trucks evade paying tolls on highways by intruding into the Fifth Ring Road. During law enforcement, these truck drivers claim ignorance of the restrictions or say, "I just took the risk; if caught, I'll accept the penalty, if not, I save money on highway tolls."
According to media reports from the Convenient Traffic Violation Inquiry Network, some drivers who "trespass" believe that even if they are discovered and fined by traffic police while driving on the Fifth Ring Road, "the loss is only 100 yuan, but other highways have bridge fees up to 200 yuan." Moreover, as long as they hold a 100-yuan fine ticket, they can avoid further penalties when encountering traffic police again.
From this perspective, violating the rules to drive on the Fifth Ring Road not only had a "low violation cost" before, but also allowed them to "save" 100 yuan. No wonder quite a number of large truck drivers take risks, daring to "trespass" despite the danger of causing accidents.
For large trucks that violate the ban and enter the Fifth Ring Road, apart from economic penalties, enforcement efforts in detention, temporary confiscation, and detention have been increased. On August 1st, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau issued the first criminal detention penalty, detaining driver Mr. Wang for fifteen days, fining him 1,800 yuan, and deducting twelve points from his license. In just two days, on August 1st and 2nd, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau legally administratively detained four people.
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